Saturday, June 21, 2014

Mobilize: a forthcoming investigative cell phone documentary

Mobilize is an investigative documentary that explores the potential long-term health effects from cell phone radiation, including cancer and infertility. The film examines the most recent scientific research, follows national legislative efforts, and illuminates the influence that technology companies have on public health. Mobilize features interviews with numerous doctors, politicians, cancer patients, and technology experts. The DVD is available in October 2014.

Study will look at effect of mobile phones on children’s cognitive development

A new £1m (€1.2m; $1.7m) study is to investigate whether any link can be found between children’s use of mobile phones and their cognitive development. The researchers behind the study believe that by following 2500 children and comparing their cognitive development with their exposure to radiofrequency radiation they will be able to answer this longstanding question.

The Study of Cognition, Adolescents, and Mobile Phones (SCAMP) aims to recruit 2500 children aged 11-12 and follow them for three years. Their exposure to mobile phones and other sources of non-ionising radiation will be measured by access to their mobile phone company records, by questionnaires, and, in a minority of the volunteers, by radiation “badges” worn for 48 hours. Measures of cognition such as memory, response times, and attention will be taken at the start of the study and repeated at the end.

Paul Elliott, director of the Centre for Environment and Health at Imperial College in London, said that research into possible links between mobile phone use and cancer in adults had been reassuring. But these had mostly been short term studies—less than 10 years—and that evidence on long term use and use by children was limited and less clear.1

Asked at a press briefing in London if it were possible in a non-randomised trial to measure effects on cognition that were likely to be small and to attribute them unequivocally to mobile phone use, Elliott said that this was a case where a controlled trial was impossible. By the age of 11 60% of children in the United Kingdom use mobile phones, and by the age of 14 the proportion has risen to 90%. “This is a prospective observational study, and we have to make the best effort we can,” he said.

The study’s principal investigator, Mireille Toledano, added, “We have picked a time period at which children are starting to own their own mobile phones and a period in which there is cognitive development. We are capturing quite a large amount of data from different sources, and therefore we will definitely have changes in cognitive development and changes in mobile phone use during the study. If we have been able to capture very closely all the factors which we know already affect cognitive development, we will able to take them into account. So we have a good within-cohort ability to identify any changes in cognitive ability that might be due to mobile phone use.”

Schools in outer London will tomorrow begin receiving letters inviting them to participate in the study. In those that are selected, all children in year 7 (11-12 year olds) will be included, as long as their parents agree. A target of 2500 has been set to provide sufficient statistical power to reach any conclusions. “If we get more, it will be great,” Elliott said.

Cognitive measures will be taken at the beginning and end of the study, while a smaller group of between 200 and 500 children will be asked in the middle year of the three year study if they would like to wear radiation meters for 48 hours to give a precise record of exposure and to fill in an activity diary.

The study has been commissioned by the Department of Health, using a pool of money to which government and the mobile phone industry contribute equally. Other studies into the possible health effects of mobile phone use continue, though none has so far produced any results unequivocal enough either to confirm a link or rule one out.

GM offers OnStar subscribers mobile WiFi access for $5 a month

Road trips transformed with data for up to seven devices

Published: May 13, 2014 03:45 PM

General Motors has announced pricing for its new OnStar 4G LTE connectivity service will start at $5 a month, effectively turning a subscriber’s vehicle into a mobile WiFi hotspot able to support up to seven devices.

Set to launch next month on the 2015 Chevrolet Malibu, the low-cost data plans added to the cost of a paid OnStar subscription. Non-subscribers pay $10 per month. New car buyers can sample the service at no cost for three months or the first three gigabytes of data, whichever comes first.

GM plans to roll out the service on more than 30 models from Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC by the end of the year, making their lineup the largest variety of models currently available with mobile Internet access.

The 4G LTE package includes access to 200 megabytes of data per month, which GM says is enough to stream more than 6.5 hours of music, surf the Internet for 13 hours, or send more than 10,000 emails. Of course, if you have a carload of passengers, each tapping into the mobile WiFi, the bandwidth will be consumed quickly. Some monitoring and moderation would be wise for gadget-friendly families.

Customers benefit from a stronger signal than they would through a smart-phone antenna, and the hotspot is activated whenever the car is turned on.

To get the $5 monthly rate, subscribers must sign up for either the OnStar Safe & Sound or Directions & Connections plans, which start at $200 and $300 per year, respectively, and include a variety of safety and convenience features. (See plan details.)

Optional plans allow up to 5GB of data use for $50 per month, or users can sample the service for $5 per day. AT&T customers can add a GM vehicle to their existing Mobile Share Plan for $10 per month.

The direct targets of extremely low and microwave frequency range electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in producing non-thermal effects have not been clearly established. However, studies in the literature, reviewed here, provide substantial support for such direct targets. Twenty-three studies have shown that voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) produce these and other EMF effects, such that the L-type or other VGCC blockers block or greatly lower diverse EMF effects. Furthermore, the voltage-gated properties of these channels may provide biophysically plausible mechanisms for EMF biological effects. Downstream responses of such EMF exposures may be mediated through Ca(2+) /calmodulin stimulation of nitric oxide synthesis. Potentially, physiological/therapeutic responses may be largely as a result of nitric oxide-cGMP-protein kinase G pathway stimulation. A well-studied example of such an apparent therapeutic response, EMF stimulation of bone growth, appears to work along this pathway. However, pathophysiological responses to EMFs may be as a result of nitric oxide-peroxynitrite-oxidative stress pathway of action. A single such well-documented example, EMF induction of DNA single-strand breaks in cells, as measured by alkaline comet assays, is reviewed here. Such single-strand breaks are known to be produced through the action of this pathway. Data on the mechanism of EMF induction of such breaks are limited; what data are available support this proposed mechanism. Other Ca(2+) -mediated regulatory changes, independent of nitric oxide, may also have roles. This article reviews, then, a substantially supported set of targets, VGCCs, whose stimulation produces non-thermal EMF responses by humans/higher animals with downstream effects involving Ca(2+) /calmodulin-dependent nitric oxide increases, which may explain therapeutic and pathophysiological effects.

This paper showed that three widely reported effects of microwave EMF exposure can be produced by known mechanisms as downstream effects of EMF-produced VGCC activation, notably therapeutic effects, single stranded breaks in DNA and oxidative stress. I recently submitted a paper showing that other repeatedly reported effects of low level microwave EMF exposures can also be produced via known mechanisms from downstream effects of VGCC activation. These include: Double strand breaks in DNA, as measured by micronucleus formation; cancer via the same mechanism that causes inflammatory carcinogenesis; male and female infertility; breakdown of the blood-brain barrier; greatly lowered melatonin levels leading to sleep dysfunction. Other less frequently reported responses including multiple types of brain dysfunction and aberrant electrical control of the heart, including tachycardia, arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death can also be produced by downstream effects of VGCC activation. It appears, therefore, that EMF action via VGCC activation is likely to be a very important integrative concept in EMF-induced pathophysiology.

Smart Grid Coverage in U.S. Newspapers: Characterizing Public Conversations

An analysis of The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and The New York Times from 1998 to 2013 suggests that media coverage of smart grid issues focuses more on benefits than risks. Coverage peaked in 2009 with substantial federal-level investment in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Phone Free Friday: Tackling "this feeling that you’re never free”

Mobile phones have been proven to have a detrimental effect on relationships and mental health. The Samaritans have come up with Phone Free Friday in an attempt to combat the issue and make people more aware of the extent of their mobile phone use. VoR's Carmen Cracknell has more.

It’s a common sight - commuters with their necks arched, gazing intently into their mobile phones.

Ninety-four percent of adults now use a mobile phone and they have become a staple accessory in most people’s lives.

And now that most people have mobile Wi-Fi, the average smartphone user spends over two hours a day using their mobile.

Around 43 minutes is spent both browsing the internet and checking social networks, with less time spent calling and texting.

“Anxiety is rife in the population. Certainly when the phone rings, anxiety is increased, particularly if one is of an anxious disposition, or if one has things to worry about such as debt thoughts. Others such as calls from bosses will cause anxiety and there’s this feeling that you’re never free.”

As well as making us more anxious, mobile phone use can also make us more selfish according to a study from the University of Maryland.

The researchers found that after a short period of mobile phone use subjects were less inclined to volunteer for community service.

Another study in the United States found that excessive phone users commonly suffered from headaches, irritability and anger.

Some scientists have said excessive mobile phone use mirrors consumption pathologies like compulsive buying.

Eighty-four percent of us say we can’t go for a whole day without our phones, and most of us check our phones 150 times a day.

British people are the second most prolific social media users in Europe, behind the Netherlands. The addictive effects of social media have been widely reported, with one study saying Facebook withdrawals trigger the same response as withdrawing from drugs.

With the range of mobile phones available increasing and the ability of phones to perform ever more functions, it looks like the amount of time we spend on mobile phones will only increase for the foreseeable future.

FCC proposes $1 billion per year for Wi-Fi in schools

U.S. schools could get a cool billion to set up Wi-Fi networks to connect more than 10 million more students by the 2015-2016 school year under a new FCC proposal.

Three out of five schools don’t have the Wi-Fi they need, yet no money was available for Wi-Fi last year under E-Rate, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s Internet funding program for schools and libraries, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said Friday in a proposal circulated to the agency’s other commissioners.

Wheeler’s plan would allocate $1 billion in E-Rate funds for Wi-Fi next year and another $1 billion in 2016, with the goal of getting Wi-Fi to more than 10 million additional students in each of those years. It also calls for predictable funding in future years. If the agency takes action this summer, the Wi-Fi upgrades could be in place for the 2015-2016 school year, according to the proposal.

The initial funding would come from $2 billion that the FCC has determined can be freed from reserve accounts and other sources, the proposal said.

E-Rate was established in 1996 and is too tied to the technologies of that era, according to Wheeler. His plan calls for a transition in funding from technologies such as dial-up and pagers to broadband and Wi-Fi in order to serve students on tablets and other personal devices. In past years, the program has only been able to support Wi-Fi in 5 percent of schools and 1 percent of libraries, Wheeler said. E-Rate provides a total of $2.4 billion per year in funding.

At the same time, Wheeler called for reforms to tighten control over a program that has been plagued by fraud and corruption. His plan calls for zero tolerance for fraud or abuse, with site inspections and tighter document-retention rules. It would also move the program toward electronic filing of all documents. The modernization plan is the first such proposal in the history of the program, according to Wheeler.

In February, a survey sponsored by technology-in-education group showed 83 percent of U.S. voters would support efforts to bring faster broadband to schools and 69 percent would back the idea even if it required a tax of $4 per year on their mobile bills.

News | June 20, 2014

First Instance Of Negative Effects From Terahertz-Range Electromagnetic Waves

Electromagnetic waves (EM-wave) in the terahertz range were widely regarded as the “dream wavelength” due to its perceived neutrality. Its application was also wider than X-rays. However, KAIST scientists have discovered negative effects from terahertz EM-waves.

Professor Philhan Kim of KAIST’s Graduate School of Nanoscience and Technology and Dr. Young-wook Jeong of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) observed inflammation of animal skin tissue when exposed to terahertz EM-waves.

The results were published in the online edition of Optics Express (May 19, 20104).

Terahertz waves range from 0.1 to 10 terahertz and have a longer wavelength than visible or infrared light. Commonly used to see through objects like the X-ray, it was believed that the low energy of terahertz waves did not inflict any harm on the human body.

Despite being applied for security checks, next-generation wireless communications, and medical imaging technology, little research has been conducted in proving its safety and impact. Conventional research failed to predict the exact impact of terahertz waves on organic tissues as only artificially cultured cells were used.

The research team at KAERI developed a high power terahertz EM-wave generator that can be used on live organisms. A high power generator was necessary in applications such as biosensors and required up to 10 times greater power than currently used telecommunications EM-wave. Simultaneously, a KAIST research team developed a high speed, high resolution video-laser microscope that can distinguish cells within the organism.

The experiment exposed 30 minutes of terahertz EM-wave on genetically modified mice and found six times the normal number of inflammation cells in the skin tissue after six hours. It was the first instance where negative side effects of terahertz EM-wave were observed.

Professor Kim commented that “the research has set a standard for how we can use the terahertz EM-wave safely” and that “we will use this research to analyze and understand the effects of other EM-waves on organisms.”

The Dangers of Smartphone Addiction [Korea Today]

Sanctuaries

I will add additional electro-safe sanctuaries and potential sanctuaries to this list as I come across them.

PLEASE NOTE: Some of the places listed below are not yet built or open. Others may not be as free from signal as they need to be, or once were. This list is simply a starting point for you in your search for safe haven. Most electrosensitive people are finding there is no safe haven anywhere that is ready and waiting totake them—rather people need to go out and find or create a safe haven for themselves.

Facebook now has two groups devoted to bringing people together to locate and create EMF-Free Sanctuaries:

If you know of additional EHS sanctuaries to be added to this list, you can share them with me by email (goldberg@ncf.ca) or by leaving a comment at the bottom of this page.

CANADA

BRITISH COLUMBIA:Cedar Rock: Oasis for Quiet Living near Osoyoos, BC – A 320-acre property located 50 km east of Osoyoos, BC, on Hwy 3. This sanctuary has not yet been built. It is in the planning stage, and the vision is quite large and impressive. See website for details. Cedar Rock is intended to be a “regenerative community” primarily for people with MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity). But it will also meet the needs of EHS people. There will be no wireless technology permitted anywhere on the acreage.

CALIFORNIA:Silent Dome Spain Grass Valley, California – This “EMF silent house” may soon be complete and taking bookings. Contact the owner via the website for details about availability. The house is located in the Sierra Nevada mountains, ten miles south of Grass Valley and more than two miles from any phone masts. All power to the house is filtered. The house has a combination of DC powered LED lights and low EMF emission appliances, with EFM-silent computers. According to the owner: “This home is intended to give EMF sensitives a place to detox from symptoms, to get EM testing, and to meet other sensitives. The long-term goal is to publicize the techniques to cope with this condition, particularly nutrition, clothing, and other healing modalities. When six people occupy the 3-bedroom house, per night cost is competitive with Motel 6.”

COLORADO:EM Sensitivity Research Institutein Rockvale, Colorado – This facility is still in the planning stages. According to the website: “The Institute would be located on a campus of 59 acres of presently undeveloped land in Rockvale, Colorado where the ambient fields are relatively low. Sensitives would travel to the Institute and live in specially built cabins. These cabins will operate on 24 VDC and perhaps 380 VDC, but no 60 Hz alternating electricity. Cell phones and WiFi would not be allowed on campus.” Consult the website for further information, updates, and to contact the planners directly.

ARIZONA:Snowflake MCS/EHS Community in Snowflake, Arizona – According to the website: “A rural area outside Snowflake, Arizona has become a haven for people with severe MCS and electrical sensitivity. Over thirty people with environmental illness live in specially built or modified homes on large lots. Thirteen homes are built adjacent to each other, while the rest are scattered over a larger area. The zoning in most areas requires a minimum of 20 acres (8 hectares) for each home, ensuring that the area stays rural. Land is inexpensive, making such large lots economical. Most of the MCS/EHS homes are connected to the electrical grid, while a few are fully powered by the sun for ultra-low EMF living.”

WISCONSIN:Lynn Knapp has purchased a low-EMF acreage in Southwest Wisconsin and wants to create an electro-safe community for other EMF refugees. Lynn Knapp says: “I have dealt with EMF for 10 years and finally purchased 22 acres in SW Wisconsin that is a safe zone. Feels wonderful there! Looking to create a small community with like folks that are dealing with EMF.” For more information, phone Lynn at 608-794-2619 or email her at dellkoprime@frontier.com.

U.K.

Beacon Bank Farmin Staffordshire, England – This is a rural B&B in a 250-year-old brick farmhouse with several Yurts located in a nearby wood for an even more rustic living experience. There is no Wi-Fi, and guests are requested to keep their mobile phones off. The owners serve vegetarian meals and are very health conscious. They advertise Beacon Bank farm as a “No Wi-Fi Zone, Low EMF, Low Tech.” Lodging is available for short recuperative holidays from EMR/RF. This is not a permanent living option.

EUROPE

FRANCE:EHS Refuge– Located in the French province of Drôme in southeastern France. The nearest town of any size is Valence. Visit this link for many images of this refuge and specific details on the shielding of the caravans and other living quarters. Watch the BBC News documentary on this EHS Refuge Zone here. As with the following EHS refuge in Italy, everything here is free.

FRANCE:Pailharès- This tiny village in southeastern France, with a population of just 280, may be the last remaining ‘White Zone’ in France – meaning a community where there is minimal mobile phone coverage and wireless radiation. Electrosensitive people have been moving there in recent years. However, that could change if the local government activates the mobile phone mast recently built on a hill outside the village. EHS residents are currently embroiled in a legal battle with local government.

ITALY:Parc de Carnè– This is Italy’s first EHS refuge. It is located within the Vena del Gesso Regional Park near the town of Brisighella in the province of Ravenna. It opened in 2010, and according to the fact sheet, everything within the zone is free, including the Bed & Breakfast.

SPAIN:Olvera– Located in the province of Cadiz, the town of Olvera (population 8,500) became Spain’s first municipality to declare itself “electromagnetic pollution–free” in 2012 by unanimous approval of its city council. NOTE: I do not know if Olvera has actually achieved its goal and removed all cell towers and illegal antennas or is simply working toward it. Elsewhere I have readthat there are so many cell towers and antennas throughout Olvera that it doesn’t mean much that they “went wireless”. I would welcome more information about current conditions in Olvera.

SWITZERLAND:Zurich- An apartment block has been built in Zurich for people with Electrosensitivity and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. The long list of rules for occupants and visitors includes: no smoking, perfumes, mobile phones, Wi-Fi, or other sources of chemical and electro-pollution. Allowable cleaning products are displayed in the lobby. The building, which opened in December 2013 and is believed to be the first of its kind in Europe, is shielded against electromagnetic radiation.

AUSTRALIA

Mid West Radio Quiet Zone, 200 km East of Meekatharra – Like Greenbank, West Virginia in the US, this is not a formal EHS sanctuary but rather a designated Radio Quiet Zone (since 2005) to shield radio astronomy telescopes from interference. According to the website, “The area has very low levels of radio frequency energy because of its low population and remote location.” So it would presumably be good habitat for electro-sensitive people. However, I have been told by one Australian that this area is a “no go” zone. More information welcome if you have some.

Tasmania- Practically the entire island state of Tasmania, located 150 miles south of the Australian continent, is an unofficial ‘white zone’ since there is very little Wi-Fi or mobile phone coverage outside of Hobart and Launceston. Even power transmission lines are few and far between. Tasmania is famed for its vast and largely unspoiled natural environment. The only reliefGeorge Parker has ever known from electrosensitivity in the last 45 years that he has suffered from it was during the three years he and his wife lived in Tasmania and his symptoms disappeared.

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About Me

While I have always been extremely health conscious and am presently in excellent health, I did become temporarily out-of-commission (i.e. I was really sick) in 2005 with a number of at the time unexplainable symptoms. I was quite puzzled at the time because I had been eating mainly organically grown food, drinking spring water, doing Yoga every morning, and going to the gym several times a week. In other words, I was doing everything one is supposed to do to stay healthy. I was not supposed to get sick. It took me six months before discovering or even imagining the main source of the problem - which was in fact "overexposure to electromagnetic" - especially microwave - radiation. I was living within 200 meters of two cell phone towers at the time and within 500 meters of a 3rd one with numerous WiFi signals bleeding into my apartment from adjacent neighbors. I developed a host of symptoms, which are found in what has been misleadingly described as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) -- but much more accurately described as Radio Wave or Microwave Sickness. Large numbers of people in the USA suddenly started getting sick in 1984...